Witness seven cultural performances at Manar Abu Dhabi this season
From hip-hop to Emirati heritage performances…
If you’re a fiend for all things culture, Manar Abu Dhabi is where you need to be. In it’s inaugural season, the newly launched exhibition of light is bringing to the people seven performances of the cultural kind. These exciting performances will take place throughout December 2023 and January 2024.
While visiting the many stunning light installations and exhibitions across the capital, you can catch multicultural audiovisual performances, musicals, poetry, hip-hop, free flow dances, and all that jazz. It’s the perfect platform to explore the treasure trove of talent in this region, taking a deep dive into the work of award-winning artists, poets, musicians, and other curators from around the world.
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More about Manar
These diverse showcases are meant to complement the stunning exhibitions, installations and commissions installed across the capital. The site-specific light sculptures, projections, and immersive artworks across the capital’s mangroves, natural vistas, landscapes and islands feature over 35 installations by 20 local, regional, and international artists.
You can find them across seven archipelagos and mangroves, including Lulu Island, Corniche Road, Saadiyat Island, Jubail Island, Al Samaliyah Island, Eastern Mangroves, and Fahid Island. Head over to be enthralled, entertained and mesmerised.
All installations are available for the public to enjoy between 5.30pm and 1am daily. The best part? No entry fee or tickets are required, so you can soak up all that art and culture free of cost and sans any hassle. Bear in mind, water transport tickets may need to be purchased while at Manar Abu Dhabi to reach certain locations, such as Lulu Island, Samaliyah Island, and Eastern Mangroves. People of Determination will also be able to access all locations.
The schedule
Faustin Linyekula & the Emirati Heritage Performers
This dance and music performance is curated by Emirati heritage performers and Africa’s acclaimed choreographer Faustin Linyekula, who is currently living between Abu Dhabi and his hometown Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Date: December 22 and 23, 2023
Location: Samaliyah Island
Time: 6.15pm
Poetry Feature Showcase by Rooftop Rhythms
The UAE’s leading poetry collective presents top contemporary poets performing thought-provoking compositions in a fresh and exciting way.
Date: December 22 and 23, 2023
Time: 7.45pm to 8.45pm
Second performance:
Date: January 12, 2024
Time: 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Location: Samaliyah Island
‘Free Flow’ street dance
Led by a dynamic street dance group of local and international dancers, Free Flow is on a mission to unite Abu Dhabi dancers and foster the street dance scene in the emirate.
Date: December 22, 2023
Location: Samaliyah Island
Time: 9pm to 10pm
Second performance:
Date: January 12, 2024
Location: Samaliyah Island
Time: 9.30pm to 10.30pm
Grand Style
A group of local artists that discovered their true passion for dance in the late 90s, Grand Style is guiding the next generation of young artists in the UAE through their love for hip-hop dance.
Date: December 23, 2023
Location: Samaliyah Island
Time: 9pm to 10pm
Siti Muharam and the Unguja All Stars
A performance featuring Taarab music with its mix of Arabic, Swahili, and Indian influences, with an addition of Siti Muharam’s noir-jazz slinkiness to the traditional Taarab styl. This concert is both an evocative snapshot of Zanzibar’s rich cultural past, and a glimpse into its future.
Date: January 12, 2024
Location: Samaliyah Island
Time: 8pm to 9pm
Tribal Street Dance: The Drums Unite Us Performance
This performance is a unique fusion of African, Khaleeji and Break & Street dance, where the sound of drums will carry audiences across continents, cultures and time.
Date: January 13, 2024
Location: Samaliyah Island
Time: 8pm to 9pm
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Diwan x Liwa Maritime Ensemble
This performance will see two Khaleeji bands recover and reinterpret the musical bridges that connect Emirati and Kuwaiti traditional music, while presenting it in a contemporary Khaleeji concert.
Date: January 26 and 27, 2024
Location: Samaliyah Island
Time: 8pm to 9pm
Images: Supplied